Astound Broadband Affordable Connectivity Plans

Astound Broadband (formerly RCN) is an internet service provider that participates in the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program Astound (ACP). As a participant, they can offer discounts of up to $30 per month to qualified households.

They offer their services in select metro areas in the following states:

California, DC, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.

Astound Internet Plans

According to their website, they offer four broadband plans:

250 Mbps Internet
500 Mbps Internet
940 Mbps Internet
1200 Mbps Internet

Be advised, however, that not all plans are available in all areas. Also, the site doesn’t mention the pricing for each internet plan. One can assume the prices vary depending on the metro location.

Signing Up with Astound Broadband

To sign up with Astound Broadband and receive the $30 discount, first, you must see if they offer service in your area. As such, you must insert your street address including your unit number if applicable. Once they confirm they provide service for your address, then it’s time to see if you qualify for ACP.

Just some words of advice. Before you begin your search for the right ACP service provider, it might be in your best interest to go through the approval process first (read eligibility and application info below). When you have your ACP ID number in hand, you can take time to research and compare service providers to find the one that best suits your needs. You can start with our list of ACP service providers.

Affordable Connectivity Program Eligibility

To qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program you must satisfy one of the following:

Have a household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

You or someone in your household receive benefits from one of the following programs:

Lifeline
Medicaid
Supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP)
Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefits Fund
Received a federal Pell grant during the current award year

The following are additional programs for those living on qualifying Tribal Lands:

Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
Tribal Head Start
Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

After satisfying the eligibility criteria, visit the Affordable Connectivity site to apply for benefits. When applying, make sure to have the necessary documents to prove you're eligible for ACP. In addition to the necessary documents, make sure to have a government-issued ID.

Approval Process

Astound’s signup process is a bit unique. After confirming that Astound provides services at your home location and you are approved for ACP benefits, Astound will contact you by phone to choose your internet plan.

The phone call may be a welcome change for those who are new to the process and need help in selecting a plan. Conversely, for more tech-savvy individuals, having to wait for a call to confirm a service plan might not be as welcome as being able to select and sign up for a plan online.

Things to Note:

If you choose a plan that exceeds the $30 discount, you are responsible for the excess. If you fail to pay the excess balance, your plan may be modified to a less expensive plan that would be covered entirely by the ACP discount. You may also run the risk of having your service terminated if the outstanding balance exceeds 90 days.

You must use the service at least once every 30 days.

You will be required to recertify ACP eligibility annually.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This site was created to help people find information about free government phones. The ower of this site does not mail, activate or repair free government phones nor provide phone service. If you have questions about phone service it is suggested that you contact the phone service provider directly.

Last Modified: 22 January 2023